Cleveland Indians: Five expectations for the 2019 season

Team to make a big deadline move

The Indians have made big trade deadline moves each of the last three seasons. It started with the addition of Andrew Miller in 2016 which propelled them to the world series. They added Jay Bruce in 2017 and he elevated the offense and helped them down the stretch.

2018 was no different as they made a big move acquiring Brad Hand at the deadline and bolstered the bullpen for the rest of the year and beyond. Every team always has one spot where they can upgrade their team for a playoff push and the Indians will likely have a move to make come July.

The outfield is full of new faces and question marks and is the most obvious spot to look for help as it stands today. The way the bullpen plays will be a big factor on the year and another spot they could look to improve.

With trading Yan Gomes, if Roberto Perez and whoever breaks camp as the backup underachieve, they could look to improve behind the plate. An extra bat in the lineup, à la Jay Bruce, could also be a possibility if the offense is stalling mid-summer.

Five all-star players, minimum

The Indians have a lot of talent on their roster and they have plenty of players capable of making the all-star roster. The top five with the best odds are Lindor, Ramirez, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, and Corey Kluber.

There could be some surprise all-star performances in the first half but these five are almost locks, barring injury, to represent the Indians in Cleveland for the 2019 all-star game.

There are lofty expectations and there are reasonable ones. I feel the ones I have listed are all reasonable and absolutely achievable for the Indians in 2019.

It is time to get excited Tribe fans. The season is going to be here before you know it and Believeland Ball has all the coverage you need all season long to stay up to date with the team!